Astou came to our hospital ship suffering from a large goiter. She received surgery to remove it… but then another condition became apparent.

DK joined our ship from his home country in the middle east to volunteer as a housekeeper. It was onboard the Africa Mercy that DK experienced healing — not from physical pain, but spiritual.

A creative crew member described what she calls “ward warriors.” 

Elle Rollins volunteered as a nurse on board the Africa Mercy. One day, she was changing the bandages of an older man who had received surgery to remove a tumor

Canadian nurse Joleen was touched by one connection she made volunteering on board our Africa Mercy. 

Volunteer surgeon Mark Shrime describes the transformation of one patient on board our Mercy Ship.

We could not do our life-changing medical work without the help of translators.

The volunteers onboard our hospital ship mainly pay their own way — room and board, transportation to and from Africa.  Sometimes it’s a group effort.

The mission of Mercy Ships is to bring hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor. And we see this mission come alive every day through the beautiful stories of our patients.

The New Year is around the corner. And like many others, I like to take time to reflect.